The characteristic cry of the goose is "herr-onk" sound, and the abrupt change in sound between its two parts is called its "break".
There is a strong market among people who are goose hunters, goose watchers and goose cry mimics, e.g. for competitors in goose cry mimicry contests, for goose calls, that is for small hand-held instruments which, when mouth-blown or otherwise actuated give out sounds mimicking those of geese. Most popular goose calls are made of wood and/or synthetic plastic resin and most closely resemble a reed-type wind instrument, e.g. an oboe or clarinet, or a recorder, except that few have valves or finger holes. Instead, most are designed to emit a cry with a chracteristic pitch-profile, which is sometimes subject to being raised and lowered by adjustments applied to the reed.
Among devotees of goose cry mimicry, a currently favorite goose call is the Olt 77 made in Pekin, Ill., which can be considered the current conventional standard. This goose call has a tubular mouthpiece which is about four inches long, into one end of the throughbore of which is frictionally telescopically received the small end of a tubular keg that is about 1.25 inches long. The bore of the keg, which is about 0.25 inch in diameter has a reed assembly fitted therein, including a reed applied to the sound-trough side of a reed base and held in one end of the keg bore by a wedge. The wedge holds the base of the reed tight against the reed base at one end of the reed, but leaves the main part of the reed free to flappingly vibrate against the reed base, particularly about the peripheral surface of the mouth of the sound trough. When the keg with its reed assembly in place is mounted to the mouthpiece, the main part of the reed becomes disposed in the bore of the mouthpiece with the free end of the reed pointing towards the free end of the mouthpiece, i.e. towards that end of the goose call which the user places against his or her mouth and blows on in order to mimic the cry of a goose.
The Olt 77 is a fine instrument, as its popularity in the marketplace among devotees of goose cry mimicry gives ample testimony.
However, in the opinion of the present inventor, there are some basic drawbacks to the mechanical design of the Olt 77 goose call, and other conventional goose calls, duck calls and the like which prevent such calls from being effectively used by more people. The drawbacks cause the calls of the conventional mechanical design to be not as durable as is desirable, not as audible as is desirable, and not as easy to use successfully as is desirable. Accordingly, the market has been limited to those who can afford frequent replacement, or who are tinkerers, and those who have especially good breath-control, as well as those to whom it is acceptable to produce a mimicked cry the sound of which will not travel as far, e.g. through a cross-wind, as can the cry of a real goose.